Candidate Name:  

Maria Chushak

Please tell us why you are interested in serving on the Board of the Midwest Chapter. 

I’m interested in serving on the Midwest Chapter Board because the chapter has been a meaningful part of my professional journey as a change management practitioner, and I want to give back in a more intentional way. I first got involved as a Learning & Professional Development (LPD) Committee volunteer in 2022. In this role, I really enjoyed coaching the presenters and helping shape the editorial calendar for the year to make sure the LPD offering aligned with the needs of our members. From there, I transitioned into a partnerships lead role, where I had the opportunity to work more closely with Alix Prassas, the ACMP Midwest President, and a few other Board members, and gain a deeper understanding of how the chapter operates. More recently, I’ve served as Acting Secretary, which has further strengthened my appreciation for the work that goes into sustaining and growing the chapter.

Being a member of ACMP Midwest has been really impactful for me—both in terms of professional development and the relationships I’ve built—and serving on the board is a way for me to give back and make sure the chapter continues to be successful and make an impact for its members today and tomorrow.

Please share what skills and experience you can contribute as a Board Director. 

I bring a strong combination of structure, follow-through, and stewardship that aligns well with the Secretary/Treasurer role. As the current Acting Secretary for ACMP Midwest, I’ve been responsible for leading Board and Executive Board meetings to ensure we stay focused on our key strategic priorities, clearly document decisions, and follow through on action items. I’m comfortable keeping meetings and governance running smoothly behind the scenes while helping the Board deliver on its strategic goals.

I’ve also spent time meeting with Mark Paulson, our current Treasurer, to gain a clear understanding of the Treasurer responsibilities, financial processes, and expectations, so I have a solid view of the full scope of this role.

In my day job, I sit within a PMO, where I regularly help design and implement structure, governance, and operating rhythms—experience that directly translates to supporting the chapter’s long-term sustainability. Additionally, I’ve managed change portfolio budgets, which has reinforced the importance of being a thoughtful, disciplined steward of organizational finances. Overall, I enjoy bringing order, clarity, and accountability to complex environments, and I’m motivated to help ensure the chapter is well run, financially sound, and set up for continued success.

Please describe any previous board experience you have had with a not-for-profit organization or other board experience. 

Candidate Name:  

Florence Rene

Please tell us why you are interested in serving on the Board of the Midwest Chapter. 

I've been an ACMP Midwest member and a volunteer on the Marketing & Communications Committee. From what I've observed, the chapter is genuinely invested in the profession and in its members. Joining the board is my way of moving from the sideline to the field. I want to contribute at a deeper level and support chapter initiatives that make our chapter a resourceful and innovative change community.

Please share what skills and experience you can contribute as a Board Director. 

Financial & Treasury Acumen

• Supported State Farm's Treasury function as part of the Merchant Payment Card team, the operational backbone for all insurance premium payments made via debit and credit card.
• Worked directly on reconciliation, helping identify and resolve variances ranging from \$5 to hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Numbers-minded by nature, I gravitate toward patterns, reconciliation, and making sure things add up—literally and figuratively.
• Managed all speaker contracts for PMI-CIC, negotiating fees for monthly meetings, conferences, and workshop profit-share arrangements.
•  Built a strong track record of securing pro bono events, delivering meaningful cost savings for members year over year.

Governance & Operations

• PMP- and PMI-ACP-certified, with extensive experience managing cross-functional initiatives requiring meticulous documentation, decision tracking, and operational continuity.
• Built various governance frameworks for PMI-CIC from scratch, formalizing agreements, redesigning processes, and creating structures where none previously existed.

Board & Volunteer Leadership

• Bring board-level leadership experience and a clear understanding of what it takes to operate effectively in a volunteer-driven organization—managing competing priorities, limited bandwidth, and the need to lead through influence rather than authority.
• Operate with the understanding that in volunteer organizations there is rarely one perfect solution, only the best available one; the real skill is knowing when to build enough consensus—or take action—to move forward with confidence and collective ownership.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and change, bringing an iterative mindset to board work—willing to pivot when circumstances shift, learn from what isn't working, and keep the team focused on the goal rather than the original plan.

Collaboration & Presence

• Strong leader and cross-functional collaborator, experienced in aligning around shared goals.
• Pride myself on understanding different perspectives while maintaining objectivity in complex group dynamics, ensuring decisions are driven by what is best for the organization and its members rather than by competing agendas.
• Show up prepared, follow through consistently, and bring a calm, structured presence that boards and members alike can count on—especially during high-pressure initiatives like conference planning and crisis situations.

Please describe any previous board experience you have had with a not-for-profit organization or other board experience. 

I am a strong advocate for local professional communities and the role they play in advancing careers, elevating the profession, and creating meaningful relationships that extend far beyond any single event or meeting. That philosophy is what has driven my sustained engagement across multiple organizations and leadership roles.

From January 2022 through January 2025, I served as Vice President of Publicity & Sponsorship, a director-level board role in which I:

• Established a Publicity & Sponsorship governance framework, formalizing agreements, redesigning sponsorship packages, and strengthening partnerships with other chapters to deliver PDU events—contributing to the chapter's recognition as one of 17 global finalists for PMI's 2024 Chapter of the Year Award.
• Institutionalized structured knowledge-sharing practices with volunteers, enhancing operational resilience and enabling sustainable succession planning.
• Grew our core social media platforms (LinkedIn and Facebook), scaling LinkedIn from 300 to over 1,200 followers, and relaunched the chapter's podcast as Executive Producer and Host, expanding visibility and continuing education content.

As of January 2026, I currently serve as VP of Professional Development for PMI-CIC. In this capacity, I have:

• Designed and delivered professional development programming including Lunch & Learns, speaker series, and member-facing events.
• Led the evaluation and onboarding of a new PPM tool to manage volunteers and their workload, improving transparency and efficiency throughout the chapter.
• Collaborated cross-functionally with other board directors on initiatives spanning membership, marketing, and sponsorship.

From January 2024 to December 2025, I served on the leadership team for State Farm's Women's Networking Group (WNET). As the Lead Ambassador for the Corporate/Bloomington Hub, I oversaw a core group of volunteers to staff corporate and employee events and share information about key initiatives and causes.

Collectively, these experiences reflect a sustained pattern of stepping up (often without a blueprint), leading with purpose, and delivering results across volunteer and professional organizations alike.